The proposed experiments are designed to establish the Monogolian gerbil as a valuable model for the study of seizure disorders and to demonstrate the unique contribution this model can make. The first series of experiments, some already completed, investigates the effects of ontogenetic and experiential variables on seizure activity. These variables includes fostering seizure-prone (SP) pups to non-seizure-prone (NSP) parents and vice versa; housing gerbils alone, in groups, or in an enriched environment; and weaning them at 3 or at 4 weeks of age. In another series of experiments, I will investigate whether differences, with respect to activity level, emotionality and learning ability, exist in SP and NSP gerbils. A third series of experiments will attempt to determine the reason for the relatively long refractory period that characteristically follows a gerbil seizure. In one group, intertest interval will be varied from 1 to 14 days to determine the optimal intertest interval for triggering seizures. In a second group the stimulus used to trigger seizures will be varied, to see whether habituation to the stimulus is responsible for the refractory period.